Baby boomers have worse health than parents’ generation

WASHINGTON – Despite modern society’s fascination with gyms, fitness studios and personal trainers, baby boomers are in a worse state of health than their parents were at the same age.

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine reports that those born in the years 1946 through 1964 are not as active as experts believed, and therefore, are less healthy. The study compared data between the two generations from an ongoing national health and nutrition survey.

The data showed that 39 percent of baby boomers are obese, compared to about 29 percent of the previous generation. About 16 percent of baby boomers also have diabetes, compared to 12 percent of the previous generation.

Additionally, about twice as many baby boomers walk with a cane, compared to their parents at the same age.

However, boomers don’t smoke as much as their parents and are therefore less likely to have a heart attack, the study reports.